Jesus -- Your Burden Bearer

What a contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees! On the one hand, the Pharisees abused what authority they had unlawfully seized to break the backs of the people with burdens of many traditions of mere men (without the authority of God, Matthew 23:4). On the other hand, Jesus came to bear the burdens of His people (whether sin, problems, tears).
Here is an important test of godly leadership in the home or in the church. A godly leader seeks to remove unnecessary burdens from the lives and consciences of those he leads. A godly leader is a burden-bearer rather than a burden-maker. A loving and godly leader will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed. He will come alongside and help the struggling brother or sister in any way that he can (beginning in his own home with his own wife and children).